The Cooper Institute FIT TALKS Muscular Strength FINAL

You don’t have to be an athlete or a dancer to have strong, flexible muscles. Everyone needs healthy muscles to move every part of the body. Muscular strength, muscular endurance and flexibility are important measurements of a healthy musculoskeletal system
What is muscular strength, endurance and flexibility?
Muscular strength is the maximal force your muscles can exert in a single effort, such as lifting a heavy weight one time. Muscular endurance is the ability to sustain or repeat that activity over an extended amount of time. So while the ability to lift a heavy weight can measure strength, endurance is measured by how many times you can keep doing it and for how long. Muscular flexibility describes the range of motion of muscles at the joint, such as stretching your arms over your head, bending over, or doing the splits. Strength, endurance and flexibility are all important indicators of how healthy your muscles are.
Why is musculoskeletal fitness important?
A healthy muscular system is important to prevent injuries while doing everyday activities like bending over, climbing or lifting. It can also help reduce the risk of injuries, strengthen your bones, improve muscle mass, and reduce other health risk factors such as heart disease. Most importantly, having healthy muscles means you can do more physical activity to improve your aerobic capacity and body composition.
How do we measure muscular strength, endurance and flexibility?
FitnessGram by The Cooper Institute combines these to assess how well the musculoskeletal system functions. Different movements are used to test musculoskeletal fitness such as push-ups, curl-ups, pull-ups and the sit and reach. Upper body and abdominal trunk strength are particularly important because they affect our posture and our risk of back injury.
Can I improve my musculoskeletal fitness?
Most people can improve muscular fitness by doing strengthening and stretching activities. you can use your body weight as resistance to do push-ups, curl-ups, and jumping activities on your own. Stretching or yoga can help improve flexibility. Young people need at least 60 minutes every day of moderate to vigorous physical activity for strong muscles and good overall health. Find activities you enjoy to improve your muscular strength, muscular endurance and flexibility so you can live healthy now and well into the future.